Btjeial casket



s. W. MANNING. BURIAL GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 25. I92I,

Patented ot.10, 1922..

ATTO R N EY Patented Oct. 10, 1922.

UNITED STATES STEPHEN W. MANNING, OF ALTOONA, lENNSYLVANIA.

BURIAL GASKET.

Application filed November 25, 1921. Serial No. 517,617.

To all fio/0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN W. MANNiNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Burial Gaskets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a burial casket, and more particularly to a casket in which the bowl or container and lid therefor are made of glass` One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a casket in which the glass bowl and lid can be effectively cemented together so as to produce an air tight closure without the necessity of providing on either the bowl or the lid ribs and co-operating grooves for receiving the same, such as it has been attempted to provide in glass caskets of known construction. A further object is. to provide a casket in which the casing which receives the bowl is so constructed and arranged relative to the bowl as toI obtain uniform distribution of weight when the casket is lifted thus eliminating dangerof breakage of either the casing or the bowl. A further object is to provide a casket which canbe quickly constructed at small cost and which will present a neat appearance. `Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawingsz- Figure 1 is a top plan View of the caskets;

Figure 2 is a side view; v

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig` 2;

Figure 5 is av fragmentary detail o-f the connection between the upper frame of the casing and the bowl.

In constructing` the casket- I employ a `glass bowl 1 which is formed at its upper edge with an outer annular shoulder 2 having in its underface an arcuate groove 3. The casing includes an upper frame 4 which is shaped to tit snugly about shoulder 2 and into groove 3. This upper frame is connected. by corner frames 5 and. posts (i to a lower frame 7 of boxlike construction the bottom of which is formed of strips 8 secured to side mouldings 9 of frame 7. Metal straps 1() are secured at suitable intervals to the inner faces of side boards 11 of lower frame 7. Ornamental plates 12are secured to the upper ends of straps 10 in any suitable or preferred manner. Arms 13 are secured to these plates and project outwardly therefrom, these arms being provided at their outer ends with heads 14 which receive bars ,15, these bars forming handles or gripping elements for lifting the casket. Then the casket is lifted the upward pressure is transmitted from lower frame 7 through corner frames 5 and posts 6 to upper frame 4 so that bowl 1 is subjected to a lifting effect at the bottom of the bowl and also at the upper edge of the bowl thus obtaining a uniform distribution of the lifting effect and permitting the casket to be handled more easily than is the case where the lifting effect is applied to the bottom of the bowl only. As upper frame 4 engages about shoulder 2 and into groove or channel 3 of the shoulder, snug engagement of the upper frame about the upper edge of the bowl is insured and all possibility of this upper frame pulling away from the bowl is eliminated.

For closing bowl 1 I provide a closure member or lid 15 also formed of glass, this lid being provided with a peripheral shoulder 2a at its lower edge having formed in its upper face a groove or channel 3a. An ornamental frame 4EL fits about the lower portion of lid 15, this frame fitting snugly about shoulder 2 and into channel 3a. A veneer frame 16 is secured over lid 15 above the moulding frame 4, frame 16 being secured to a fabric strip 17 which is cemented to the glass surface, Vhen the casket is closed the frame 4a of lid 15 rests upon frame 4 of the casing, the casket when closed presenting a very neat and finished appearance.

A strip 18 is secured tothe inner face of i bowl 1 and projects appreciable distance above the upper edge of the bowl. As clearly shown in Figure 3, frame' 4 also projects above the upper edge of the bowl the same distance as strip 18, the frame and the strip elo-operating to provide a channel 19 above the upper edge of bowl 1. lThis channel is adaptedv to snugly receive the lower edge portion 20 of lid l5, which projects below frame 4" and below a strip 21 secured to the inner face of the lid, the lower face of this strip being in the plane of. the lower face of frame 4. When the casket is closed the lower face of frame 4a lits snugly upon the upper face of frame 4 and strip 21 rests upon the upper face of strip 18. The

strips 18 and 21 also provide means whereby the usual trimming may be attached to the bowl and the lid.

ln practice, before closing the casket a suitable cement is placed in the groove or channel 19 termed b y the upwardly projecting portions olf strips 18 and iframe el, the strip and the trame serving to confine the cement laterally of the sides'and ends of the bowl. After this has been done the lid is placed in position, lower edge 20 of the lid iitting snugly inthe channel 19 and being immersed in the c-ement placed in this channel. lNhen the cement sets it acts to secure the lid and the bowl tightly `together so as to produce an'air tight closure. By constructing` the casket in this manner I render it possible to obtain a permanent air tight connection between the lid and the bowl while avoiding all necessity of providing a rib upon the lower edge oi the cover and a channel in the top edge of the body :for receiving this rib, as in glass caskets oli known type. This is a very great advantage, from the practical standpoint, since it has been conclusively demonstrated by extensive experiments that it is a practical impossibility to `provide a glass casket having a co-operating rib and groovefor sealing the casket closed, due to the fact that the rib and the material at the sides ot the groove tend to cool quicker' than the rest oit the glass when the Vbowl and the lid have been pressed, thus resulting in twisting and warping which 'causes so much breakage as to render the cost of producing glass caskets of the character stated prohibitive from a practical standpoint.

The casket made in the manner illust 'ated and described may be readily produced on a commercial scale without excessive breakage due to warping and twisting of the glass in cooling, which is a decided improvement from apractica'l standpoint over the type of glass caskets employing ribs and grooves lfor sealing the bowl and lid together. In addition, the casket 4 can be eilect-ively sealed so as to be air and water tight by using a suitable glass cement which is poured into the channel 19 before placing the lid in position on the bowl. `Wl1en closed the casket presents a very neat appearance and, as above stated, is ellectively sealed, while possessing a very desirable quality of being practically indestructible when placed in the ground.

l. In a casket of the character described, a glass bowl, a casing enclosing the bowl and projecting above the upper edge thereof, a strip secured in the bowl and projecting above the upper edge thereof, the casing and the strip cooperating with the upper edge ot' the bowl to form a channel for reception of cement, a glass lid, a frame enclosing the lid, and a strip secured in the lid, the lid projecting below the lid frame and strip and adapted to lit into said channel, the upper faces of the bowl casing and strip being in a common plane, and the lower ii'aces of the lid frame and strip being'in a common plane.

2. ln a casket ol? the character described, a bowl provided. at its upper edge with an outwardly projecting shoulder, a lower iframe {itting about the lower portion olE the bowl, and an. upper frame supported upon the lower 'frame and litting about and beneath the shoulder. i

3. In a casket of the character described, a bowl provided at its upper edge with an outwardly projecting shoulder having a groove in it ui'iderlface, a lower vface litting about the lower portion oi the bowl, and an upper frame supported upon the lower frame and fitting about and beneath the shoulder and into said groove.

4. ln a casket of the character described, a bowl provided at its upper edge with an outwardly projecting shoulder, a lower 'frame litting about the lower portion of the bowl, an upper frame supported upon the lower iframe and fitting beneath said shoulder, strap members secured `to said lower iframe, and handle members secured to the strap members.

5. In a casket o1c the character described, a bowl provided at its upper edge with an outwardly projecting shoulder, a lower frame iitting about the lower portion of the bowl, an upper iframe supported upon the lower frame and fitting beneath said shoulder, strap members secured to said lower frame and extending upwardly along the outer face of the bowl, plates secured to the upper portions of the strap members, arms secured to said plates, and bars secured to the arms and :forming means for handling the casket.

ln testimony wliereo't l aliix my signature.

STEPHEN W. MANNING 

